Monday, October 31, 2016

Royal Marines at war over 'Genderbread man' in green beret: Poster aiming to promote awareness of gender issues in Commando units is slammed by troops

A poster featuring a so-called ‘Genderbread’ person wearing a green beret has triggered anger and bemusement among Royal Marines.

The mocked-up image, intended to promote awareness of gender issues in Commando units, was attacked last night as disrespectful and a waste of money.

Some elite troops claimed the poster mocks their legendary green berets – which are only awarded after a brutally tough selection process.

A serving Sergeant Major told The Mail on Sunday: ‘I have no issues with anyone’s sexuality. But depicting a member of the Corps as a ‘‘Genderbread’’ person, and the wearing of a green beret, is deeply offensive. It looks as if the Marines are being mocked.’

An MOD spokesperson said: ‘We want the best possible people in the Armed Forces regardless of background – that’s why we are implementing a range of measures designed to encourage a diverse and inclusive workforce.’

Intolerant language found spray-painted under East Campus Bridge at Duke U

Almost certainly a Leftist provocation, as usual

A racial slur targeting black people and threats against homosexuals and Jewish people were discovered Sunday, spray-painted under the East Campus Bridge. Members of the Duke University Chapter of the NAACP and their advisor, Alec Greenwald, found the slurs upon arriving to the scene just before 1:00 p.m.

“When we arrived to begin painting for our event, we noticed the hate speech and chose that area to paint over,” wrote Duke NAACP President Guilbert Francois over email.

After the discovery, who had arrived at the tunnel with his children to support the Duke Chapter of the NAACP, Greenwald captured the slurs before the decision was made to paint over those areas and proceed with the event. Collaborating groups included the Asian Student Alliance and Mi Gente.

In an email, Greenwald explained the sight he and his children encountered: “As we were waiting for the other student groups to trickle in, my kids wanted to read some of the messages that were on the tunnel. As we walked through the tunnel, we arrived at 3 derogatory messages targeting various identity groups. After having a conversation with my kids about the messages, I suggested to the student groups that we focus on that portion of the wall to paint over.”

The Duke University Police Department was not notified before the slurs, targeting members of the black, queer and Jewish communities, were painted over. The identity of the offender remains unknown, as does their affiliation to the university.

Israeli wedding guests who were filmed celebrating the death of a Palestinian toddler and his parents in a firebombing at their West Bank home are charged with inciting terror

Given what Israelis have suffered in attacks by Arabs, this can surely be forgiven. Besides, when is a celebration an incitement? It is looking back, not looking forward

Prosecutors have charged a groom and 12 Israeli wedding guests, including the groom, with inciting violence after they were caught on camera celebrating the murder of a Palestinian toddler and his parents, who died after their home was firebombed by Jewish settlers.

Ali Saad Dawabsha, who was 18 months old, died when his home in the village of Duma in the occupied West Bank, was attacked in July 2015.

Ali's parents died later from severe burns. His badly burned brother Ahmed, aged five, was the sole survivor.

In December last year the suspects - eight men and five teenage boys - were filmed waving guns and stabbing a photograph of the dead child at a wedding.

A Star of David and the words 'revenge' and 'long live the Messiah' were spray-painted on a wall near the Dawabshas' small house.

A Jewish settler, Amiram Ben-Uliel, 21, was charged in January with murder, attempted murder, arson and conspiracy to commit a hate crime.

The Times of Israel said Ben-Uliel claimed to have carried out the firebombing in retaliation for the murder of another Jewish settler, Malachy Rosenfeld, by a Palestinian gunman.

Why an Australian ambulance officer described Dreamworld victims as having suffered ‘injuries incompatible with life’

AMID the unfolding tragedy of four deaths on a ride at Dreamworld on Tuesday, an ambulance officer’s seemingly heartless description of the victims’ injuries had social media in uproar.

It caused a social media maelstrom, with many attacking the Gold Coast's acting supervising officer — and the media for reporting it — for a seemingly cold description so soon after four deaths.

But the clearly shaken, senior officer, facing a live national television cross fresh from leaving the grisly scene, was using a clinical term commonly used by medical professionals, police and other emergency services.

Unknown to many was that the term gave a sad insight into the extent of the injuries the victims suffered.

When injuries are deemed by paramedics to be so severe that they are “incompatible with life”, CPR is deemed a futile exercise.

The Queensland Ambulance Service official clinical practice guidelines for resuscitation outline a number of instances in which CPR should not be attempted.

They include where the patient has sustained injuries that are “totally incompatible with life”.

Many social media users rushed to defend Mr Fuller’s use of the term on live television.

A 32-year-old woman and her 35-year-old brother were killed in Tuesday afternoon’s tragedy, which happened on the Thunder River Rapids Ride. The man’s 38-year-old male partner also died. All three were from Canberra. The woman’s 12-year-old daughter was thrown clear of the ride and watched in horror as her mother and uncles perished. Another unrelated woman, 42, from Sydney was also killed. Her 10-year-old son was also thrown free from the raft and watched his mother die.

Thursday, October 27, 2016

The Oxford English Dictionary publisher insisted today that it will not remove the term 'Essex girl' after a campaign that has attracted 3,000 signatures.

The petition was started by two mothers who claim the term 'pigeonholes' women into an 'appalling stereotype', and they have organised a meeting with the publisher.

Natasha Sawkins, 34, and Juliet Thomas, 32, reacted after the term became recognised in the dictionary to describe 'unintelligent and materialistic' women.

But Oxford University Press, which publishes the OED, said it cannot make changes as a result of a petition, 'as this would go against our descriptive editorial policy and undermine the evidence-based approach that our dictionaries are built on'.

The two former Bloomberg executives claim the phrase is not reflective of Essex women and that those living in the county should 'reclaim' the term.

The mothers, who both live in Essex, hope their campaign will help redefine 'Essex Girl' by celebrating their achievements and true character.

A 34-year-old student at Iowa State University is suing the school over what he calls an “unconstitutional speech code.”

The student, Robert Dunn, says the university is forcing him to compromise his First Amendment rights by complying with “overly broad and vague” anti-discrimination and harassment policies. Failing to agree to abide by the policies, he added, could result in the school placing a “hold” on his diploma and a “review” by the dean of students.

The “speech code” Dunn is referring to is a university policy titled, “Sexual Misconduct, Sexual Assault, and Sexual Harassment Involving Students.” In August, prior to the fall 2016 semester, Dunn said he received an email announcing the new training program on “the university’s nondiscrimination policies and procedures” to be completed online.

Specifically, Dunn’s lawyers argue in the lawsuit, the policy “states that ‘gossip’ about a male student’s ‘feminine dress’ could be harassment, failing to even acknowledge that students also possess First Amendment rights that might be implicated.”

“The harassment doesn’t even have to be directly at the person,” Dunn told The Daily Signal in a phone interview. “So I didn’t feel comfortable saying that I was going to sign over my First Amendment right in order to comply with campus policy.”

Dunn is a resident of Ames, Iowa. He is a conservative, member of Young Americans for Freedom, and the founder and president of Iowa State’s Young Americans for Freedom organization. He is a senior at Iowa State, where he is majoring in accounting in order to pursue a new career path.

Dunn is being represented by lawyers at Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian conservative nonprofit law firm that advocates for the right of people to live out their faith.

Casey Mattox, an attorney representing Dunn, said the policy at Iowa State is “one of the worst policies that we have seen in recent years.” “We handle a lot of university free speech cases,” Mattox said, adding:

The fact that it would affirmatively state that First Amendment protected speech can still be deemed harassment by the university and then just give administrators the authority to decide what those circumstances are, when free speech equals harassment, it basically eliminates any kind of protection for free speech. You can’t be put in a position as a student where you have to fear that whatever you say could be deemed harassment if someone else thinks the circumstances are such.

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Parents have expressed outrage following comments made by Nova radio hosts Kate, Tim and Marty about a child with a rare genetic disorder.

The trio aired a segment on October 14 titled ‘What have you got that’s big?’, following media coverage of a 16-month old US baby with Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome, which can cause overgrowth of various parts of the body.

Little Paisley Morrison-Johnson was forced to undergo two rounds of life-saving tongue reduction surgery, just to be able to eat, breathe and smile uninhibited.

However, according to the mother of a child in Paisley’s BWS support group, the South Dakota girl became the butt of “cruel and horrible” jokes made by the radio hosts, who reportedly compared her appearance to “a comedy act”.

As well as suffering similar problems with her tongue, the Melbourne woman’s daughter was also born with her bowel on the outside because it was simply too large to fit inside her tiny body.

“My daughter along with Paisley that you giggle about, has overcome more adversity and shown more courage in her life than all three of you put together,” she wrote.

“I am disgusted to think that this unempathic [sic], insulting, uninformed chatter seems to count for entertainment. This is a very low blow.”

The episode podcast has been deleted and re-uploaded minus the offending segment, but it’s been reported the trio also used phrases including, “If you thought your kid was ugly jump on Instagram and look at this” and “the tongue is a put-off” when discussing Paisley’s condition.

Britain has recently accepted various Muslim refugees who claim to be children -- even though blind Freddy could tell they are grown men. But apparently the British Left think it is offensive to mention that. All refugees are good, apparently

A poster mocking the age of child migrants coming to Britain has caused fury after being put up in a kitchen for MPs in Parliament.

Labour's shadow minister for Industrial Strategy, Chi Onwurah, tweeted the image with the text: 'Just £3 from you could clothe and feed his 12yr old Syrian child for a week'.

But instead of showing a Syrian child, the poster contains an elderly man in a headscarf.

Ms Onwurah, who represents Newcastle Central, said that someone had put it up deliberately in a kitchen serving 12 MPs and their staff.

It came as the row over whether all the migrants entering the UK from Calais are all under 18 after one was found to be an adult.

Explaining what happened the MP said: 'It was spotted sellotaped above a sink so it was not by accident. I thought it was really upsetting. It shouldn't have a place in Parliament'.

The kitchen serves MPs from Labour, the SNP and the Tories.

Ms Onwurah told Huffington Post: 'There's been an increasing xenophobic commentary in politics and the Tory Party Conference had numerous examples of that and so by condoning that kind of hostility you're making this more likely to happen'.

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Only governments are allowed to condemn FAT

Jamelia has reportedly been axed from the Loose Women panel following her controversial comments about plus-size women earlier this year.

According to The Sun, the Superstar singer, 35, is said to have rubbed ITV bosses up the wrong way after saying that obese women 'should feel uncomfortable' about their unhealthy size, and that high street stores should not be catering for them.

'Jamelia really annoyed bosses with her comments on high street shops selling bigger clothes', a source told the paper.

'The show is often close to the bone but those comments were the final straw.

'Loose Women’s viewers come in all shapes and sizes and the producers don’t want them to be offended,' the source explained

Dallas Elotes Cart Says They Won't Shut Down After Allegations of Racism and Cultural Appropriation

Elotes is a simple dish — but it's not proving so simple for Corn Connection, a Dallas elotes cart that's been accused of racism and insensitive cultural appropriation.

A Facebook post by community organizer Luz Hernandez calling for a boycott of Corn Connection, an elotes stand in Dallas, spread like wildfire once Hernandez made the post public, and it set off a viral avalanche when Hernandez was verbally attacked on the internet by one of the business’ former workers.

Hernandez originally posted a picture of the Corn Connection cart and employees, and she captioned it, “Please don’t support this Columbusing ass company, the Corn Connection, in Dallas. YT ppl [white people] selling elotes – SMMFH.”

Aside from borrowing its logo, interlocking Cs from Chanel, the business also borrowed its product, elotes: a Mexican dish of corn, mayonnaise, hot sauce and cheese that's found its way onto an increasing number of American menus in recent years.

Monday, October 24, 2016

A Dictionary for Victims

Woke, intervention, safe-space, micro-aggression. Everyday on social media we see these words and phrases, and many others besides. They have become the mainstay of the regressive left’s vocabulary. Most were borrowed or adopted from the US, where so many of our populist repertoires originate, but they are generally not well defined. Let’s see what we can do about that.

Here follows a guide for the perplexed:

Safe-space: A virtual prison, guarded in similar fashion. You can't leave and you need permission to visit. Ostensibly designed to protect, it is in reality a Panopticon. Inside, each inmate acts as both enforcer and victim, policing their colleagues and mobilising sentiment against the outside world, presumably for a breakout at some point. However, while prisons have rehabilitation and reintegration at their heart, safe-spaces serve to regress and alienate. It is a safe enough place, for everything other than free speech. It is a total institution (see: hegemony).

Intervention: Threatened by more traditional words like "argument" or "criticism", using "intervention" serves to avoid any objective description as to the nature of a comment or insight. Thus, it is the phrase of choice for those wishing to avoid the hurt and pain that inevitably accompanies critical opinion. If every sentiment is merely an "intervention", all sentiments are equal, nonthreatening and neutral. Thomas Paine’s Common Sense was an intervention; so was your protestation on receiving the wrong change at the corner cafe.

Woke: A person who is woke is aware of injustice and prejudice, and embracing of the burden that accompanies being a social justice warrior (see: social justice warrior). It is an admission of failure; for before the revelation there was presumably just ignorance. And, like a religious conversion, it is worn as a badge of honour. Once pinned to your Facebook page, it is an all-encompassing truth. You cannot be woke and wrong. Only woke and misunderstood. From that point, all moralising flows. In order not to lapse back into ignorance, one must stay woke. It is a constant battle.

Intersectional: Something is labelled intersectional (in the real world we use the word complex) in order to negate specificity. If everything is multidimensional, nothing is as it appears and no one point can stand on its own. Every point has a context and no point is true in and of itself. Many of these contexts are unseen (unless you are woke) and to make a point without reference to this complexity is to lose any argument from first principles. On our roads, intersections are regulated and traffic flows in one direction or another. In the language of victimhood all lanes are always open.

Bodies: Bodies are metaphors. They are not physical but metaphysical. Thus, always they are accompanied by an adjective, usually racial in nature, giving them their true and final form. It is the language of otherness, to take something universal and redefine it as particular. It is one of the many rhetorical tools used to enforce difference. They are used negatively, as flash points for suffering. We all have bodies but to have, say, a "white body", is to possess something entirely different.

History: History, as practised in academia, is the study of days gone by and the attempt to understand and draw from it both truth and wisdom. History in the language of victimhood is what happened five minutes ago. And so 1976 and October 2016 can be effortlessly merged into a single stream of conscience. Everything turns on yesterday and there is no tomorrow. No perspective or wisdom either. Of course, the problem with labelling anything historic is that the exercise is redundant. Everything is historic in some sense or another. A better word would be "important". However, then you run the risk of exposing your own judgment; far more convenient to feign clairvoyance and, of course, place your humble self at the centre of history's grand narrative.

Violence: Violence, in the true sense of the word, is ubiquitous in SA; horrific in the depth and breadth of its depravity too. Rape, murder, assault; thousands, if not millions, suffer at its hands everyday. But, in an arrogant act of egomaniacal proportions, the language of victimhood has adopted the word to mean one’s feelings are hurt when offence is caused. Ideas and arguments, the word suggests, are the real cause of violence, belittling the very real experience of those who actually bleed and die. Soon, no doubt, other words will follow suit, as the language of victimhood seeks to elevate its own concerns above all others. Argue too strongly and, in the near future, it could be deemed a genocidal act.

Social Justice Warrior: Hashtags and posters are their weapons; sometimes human excrement too. They hunt down inequality and destroy it; often with the emphasis on the destroying. Enlightened in a way others are not, they can see through the fog of injustice. They can see the path and the light. But they cannot see too far down the path. So, often, it is their own future they damage in an act of self-harm. But their fires burn brightly, enough to light the path just a little bit more. And so they march on. Fire by fire.

Micro-aggression: A micro-aggression is a minor slight, one that causes violence (see: violence) to a particular body (see: bodies). It is met in turn by a macro-aggression, a phrase that, curiously, does not enjoy the same standing. A micro-aggression, its identification and countenance, is typically conveyed with passive-aggressive intent. Only that response is described as an intervention (see: intervention). In defence, to deny any intent other than human frailty or, indeed, the truth of the matter, is to reveal you are not woke (see: woke).

Myths: Myths are legends. Tall tales of magic and superstition. Like equality, that is a myth. And justice; that too is a fable. In dispelling these myths, the world of principles and ideals is conveniently conflated with the real world, with all its ambiguity and unfairness. Most people understand the difference but if you are woke (see: woke), this understanding has arrived as something of an epiphany. Lo and behold, the world is not fair or just. Once that point is agreed to, it is then appropriate to again differentiate the two worlds and to ask, what now? But first the dispelling of the myths.

The Economy: There is no definition for this word in the language of victimhood — no understanding of how it works either, nor its effects or its central importance to improving the quality of life, an appreciation for human rights or the creation of a better society. Certainly no policy or programme to address it. Thus, it is never mentioned.

Hegemony: Used as an ironic reference to some powerful idea or practice, usually problematic in nature (patriarchy for example), with no appreciation for the fact that the language of victimhood, with all its demagogic undertones, is somewhat hegemonic itself in turn, which has many completely captured in its web. "Totalising" is another word often used in conjunction with this idea. Western ideas are totalising, we are told. The very fact that so much national discussion would seem to revolve around denigrating and maligning them, is evidence not of that the fact they are not totalising, but of the very kind of hegemonic thinking against which we are told to fight.

Disrupt: One must disrupt conventional thought, we are told, but in a particular way. Declaring, for example, Africa to be the biggest continent is not the kind of disruption we are after. That is worthy of ridicule. But saying science should be scrapped, that is acceptable; worthy of consideration and reflection. Importantly, one should never disrupt a disrupter, although one can intervene (see: intervention). To suggest some or other moronic disruption as just that, is to commit violence (see: violence), possibly on a particular body (see: bodies).

Western and African: No idea is an idea in and of itself. Democracy, for example, cannot exist as an ideal. It has to be differentiated. Western democracy or African democracy. Everything can be divided into these two camps. And each of these two camps is totalising (see: hegemony).

So, there is no North Africa, just as there is no Asia. At a push, Western can be subdivided into European and American but the word "imperialist" suitably represents both. The distinction breaks down the more specific you get. So, for example, no one takes an African selfie on their Western iphone.

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Gettysburg College freshman James Goodman began his first moments of higher education by being lectured by campus leaders about “toxic masculinity,” he tells The College Fix in an interview.

Students who “identify as male” were shown a docudrama film about masculinity. The film, titled “The Mask You Live In,” was part of the lessons warning students that the notion of masculinity comes with harmful side effects, he said.

According to the trailer of the film, it teaches that the “three most destructive words” a boy can hear growing up is “be a man.” Experts quoted therein also suggest that violent outbursts are prompted by masculinity pressures because “respect is linked to violence.”

“They really buy into a culture that doesn’t value what we feminize,” says scholar Dr. Niobe Way in the trailer, continuing that people of both genders will “go crazy” under that construct.

Psychiatrist Dr. James Gilligan added “whether it’s homicidal violence or suicidal violence, people resort to such desperate behavior only when they are feeling shame or humiliated, or feel they would be if they didn’t prove that they were real men.”

As he makes the comments, headlines reporting on suicides and murder-suicides flashed on screen.

Others headlines that peppered the trailer apparently link shooting massacres to masculinity; images included stories about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, in which 20-year-old Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children and six staff members, and the shooting in Aurora, Colo., in which James Holmes killed 12 people inside a movie theater.

“The entire movie and lesson made it seem like masculinity was an unacceptable human trait. That it’s something males should avoid. It was completely pointless. It did nothing to help anyone. I got absolutely nothing out of the experience, other than a headache,” Goodman said to The College Fix.

A psychology professor at the University of Toronto who is protesting a law that would force him to use certain pronouns for transgender and other gender nonconforming individuals says the school is trying to “silence” him.

Peterson has been a vocal opponent of a measure before Canada’s Parliament known as C-16, which would amend the nation’s human rights and criminal codes to make it illegal to discriminate based on gender identity and gender expression.

If passed, failure to refer to a person by the preferred pronoun or refusing to hire someone based on gender identity could qualify as discrimination and be punishable by law.

In a phone interview with The Daily Signal, Peterson said he has no problem with addressing people “as whatever gender they appear to be presenting themselves as.”

Peterson, a clinical psychologist, is a tenured professor.

“If Caitlyn Jenner wants to be called ‘she,’ I don’t give a damn,” he said. “If someone’s going through a fair bit of work to manifest themselves as a female or manifest themselves as a male, I’m not going to make an issue of it.”

What Peterson takes issue with, however, is the Canadian government potentially forcing him to speak in a manner that reflects a particular ideology, such as using the genderless pronouns “zie” or “hir.”

“The law should be very careful when it mandates what people have to say,” Peterson said, adding:

That’s the fundamental issue here. The mistake of this legislation is, it’s an attempt to force people to utter certain words that are not of their choosing. There’s a big difference between being required to not say something, and being required to say something. It’s a different category of law. One is closing your mouth. The other one is putting a hand inside you and forcing you to be a puppet.

Some students and other members of the University of Toronto community took immediate offense to Peterson’s remarks, telling school leaders they found his comments “unacceptable, emotionally disturbing, and painful.”

The university first warned Peterson to stop making “discriminatory” remarks in an Oct. 3 letter from Susanne Ferber, chairwoman of the Department of Psychology

The letter signed by Cameron and Nelson, dated Oct. 18, informs Peterson:

The impact of your behavior runs the risk of undermining your ability to conduct essential components of your job as a faculty member and we urge you to consider your obligations as a faculty member to act in a manner that is consistent with the law and with university policy.

Peterson’s tenure status provides “some protection” from being fired, he said, “but the limits of that can always be tested.”

The university officials object to what they call Peterson’s “discriminatory intentions”—that, as a matter of principle, he has said he’d refuse to comply with rules or laws dictating pronoun usage.

Peterson said he doesn’t intend to stop speaking out on the issue, and warned that political correctness is spiraling out of control, particularly in the U.S.

I think the university will send me a third warning letter, because I think they’re getting the documentation in order, and then I think there’s a reasonable probability that they’ll take action against me. And I think there’s a nontrivial possibility that I’ll be held up in front of the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal. I’m obviously prognosticating with regards to something I can’t predict, but the university did yesterday tell me to silence myself, and I didn’t expect them to do that.

Friday, October 21, 2016

NOTE: My normal posting time has come, only to find me under the influence of both health and cable problems. The cable problems seem by now to have been banished but too late for me to read much. There is a fair chance that I might be back in normal action by this time tomorrow.

My health problem is a post operative infection in the wound site -- most probably golden staph. I am on 300 mg of clindamycin 6 hourly so that should help. I can control the pain with di-gesic pretty well but I have to be cautious about sepsis so my next recourse may have to be a vancomycin drip.

Either the infection or the remedies seem to be making me very drowsy so I sleep for long periods, which is probably a good thing on the whole.

Thursday, October 20, 2016

More Leftist hate speech

A BBC news presenter has been suspended for allegedly calling the Tory government 'the new Nazis' in an online social media rant.

BBC Look North's Danny Carpenter reportedly accused the government of being 'cynical, vicious, racist and xenophobic' in a Facebook rant and has now been suspended by the corporation as they carry out an investigation.

Mr Carpenter is also said to have called for the Brexit to be 'voted out' by Parliament because of a 'combination of dishonest fear-mongering and lies about the economy'.

He wrote earlier this month: 'Now let's see the Labour Party grow some proper balls and unite in the lobbies to vote out every cynical, vicious, racist and xenophobic piece of legislation these new Nazis propose.

'Let's start by demanding a commons debate on Brexit and voting out this utterly undemocratic and non-legally binding referendum result which was achieved by a combination of dishonest fear-mongering and lies about the economy.'

'Neutrality is so important but when you read such anti-Tory rhetoric from a well known local reporter, it does nothing to heal the preconceptions about BBC bias that many in politics have.'

A BBC spokesman said: 'The impartiality of our journalism is of the utmost importance to us. We have clear social media guidelines for staff, which we take very seriously. 'We have spoken to the member of staff and we are continuing to investigate.'

Supermarket is accused of 'cultural appropriation' for selling a Halloween Day of the Dead costume inspired by the Mexican festival

Asda was today accused of ‘cultural appropriation’ for selling a Halloween costume which has been labelled as disrespectful to Mexicans.

The supermarket has been criticised by shoppers for its ‘Halloween Day of the Dead skeleton costume’ inspired by the annual Dia de Muertos festival in Mexico.

Critics argue that Halloween and Day of the Dead are two separate events with different origins, and say it is culturally disrespectful to sell these outfits.

Dia de Muertos is a holiday to honour the dead, with participants decorating altars with flowers, candles, food and pictures in memory of loved ones.

The celebration originated as a ritual in South America as long as 3,000 years ago - and was merged with Catholicism following the Spanish Conquest.

Halloween is on All Hallows’ Eve, the evening before the Christian festival All Saints Day, and began 2,000 years ago as the Celts marked the end of summer.

People at that time believed the barrier between our world and that of ghosts and spirits became thin at this point, so had a huge party to scare them away.

Irish immigrants to the US raised the popularity of Halloween in the 19th century, before it became more commercialised and spread further in recent decades.

Asda’s ‘Halloween Day of the Dead’ costumes are available in both male and female styles and adult and children’s sizes, costing £16 and £11 respectively.

The store is also offering ‘Sugar Skull’ themed items, including masks, based on the traditional calavera skulls, which are used in Day of the Dead celebrations.

However some critics have tweeted their disappointment at the collection. Christina Bradley said: ‘The sugar skull range/the advert with sugar skull makeup for Halloween is awks. Learn what they’re about before you appropriate them?’

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

The Yale football team’s victory over Dartmouth Saturday was tainted by program booklets that featured racially insensitive portrayals of Native Americans on the cover.

The booklets, which were printed to commemorate the football team’s 100th game against Dartmouth, included eight historic renditions of program covers from past years, half of which contained offensive depictions of Native Americans that included Dartmouth’s unofficial former mascot, the Indian.

One cover showed a bulldog chasing the Native American figure up a tree, while another featured a Yale football player lighting the figure’s clothing on fire. The Athletics Department issued an apology for the programs Sunday.

The image of the cover surfaced on social media Saturday when Mary Kathryn Nagle, executive director for the Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program, tweeted out a picture of the program, criticizing the “dehumanizing images of redface.”

Students’ condemnation of the cover took off after an image of it was posted on the Overheard at Yale Facebook page Sunday afternoon.

Later that day, Director of Athletics Thomas Beckett responded on behalf of Yale Athletics and issued an apology for the offensive images in a schoolwide email.

Actress Priyanka Chopra has apologised for modelling an "insensitive" top on a magazine cover.

The former Bollywood star features on the front of a recent copy of Conde Nast Traveller magazine, wearing a white vest top with the words "migrant", "refugee" and "outsider" crossed out, while "traveller" is left uncrossed.

However, people have been quick to criticise the publication for the message sent in the cover, with many stressing that being a refugee is "not a choice".

Priyanka, who currently stars in U.S. TV series Quantico, told Indian news channel NDTV: "I'm really apologetic about sentiments being hurt. I have always been against labels. I am very affected and feel really horrible, but the message has been misconstrued. The magazine was very clear that they wanted to send a message about addressing xenophobia with labels."

She said that she is more than aware of the issues currently faced by refugees, and was actually aiming to send a message in support of their crisis.

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

False accusations that Britain is a racist country

By Nadhim Zahawi MP (Nadhim Zahawi is a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee and MP for Stratford On Avon)

Everyone needs to calm down, breathe, and think a little bit more before they react to stories about Brexit. Many seem to be excited every time they stumble upon a shred of evidence that might be twisted to point towards their view – already dearly held – that those who support Leave are racist fools, dreaming of an all-white Britain.

And this fantasy view is now sometimes taken of the entire Government, simply because Theresa May has committed to following through on the will of the British people. Now many opponents of Brexit are prone to seize upon any Government policy as evidence of shameful racism, and make it controversial. All to fit their sad view that this country is suddenly something to be ashamed of.

We saw this in the response to the consultation on the number of foreign workers companies have hired. Cue outrage – and the creation of fears that the Government will soon be regularly publishing lists of foreigners for angry mobs to threaten. But if only the outraged had paused and listened to what Ministers are saying, they would have heard what the plan actually was. Instead they heard a few words; placed them within their pre-existing view of the ‘xenophobic Tories’ and conjured up something to shock themselves with – something that gets wilder and wilder during the game of political Chinese whispers that is modern social media.

Of course the policy – to provide information to central Government about how many foreign workers they had to hire in order to provide useful detail about skills shortages – was perfectly reasonable. But when this reality started the perforate the self-satisfied bubble of disgust, those who had blown it up just called the move a U-turn and went on their way, ready to be righteous another day.

It would be all too easy to accept that some have created this idea of a racist Britain for themselves to fight against, and to conclude that we should ignore them, and get on with our lives. But instead we must stand up and challenge this view because it is so damaging and so far from reality. Ultimately, this distorted viewpoint only undermines the real fights against racism and intolerance.

Britain racist? Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones

Across parts of Germany, running battles between immigrants and neo-Nazis are becoming so frequent that they no longer lead the news.

In France and Belgium, Jewish schools and synagogues require armed guards. In Toulouse, a mosque has been burned to the ground. In Sweden, neo-Nazi thugs warned of a ‘year of violence’ against immigrants.

Racist violence across much of Europe is now becoming almost routine.

So which country has the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe decided to accuse of ‘anti-foreigner sentiment’? You guessed it. The European Commission on Racism and Intolerance, which reports to the Council, says it is alarmed at the ‘intolerant political discourse in the UK, particularly focusing on immigration’.

Seriously? Political discourse in the UK? Let’s compare how politicians talk here with what passes unremarked in other EU states. Czech prime minister Bohuslav Sobotka says: ‘To be honest, we don’t want a large Muslim population here.’ His Slovak counterpart, Robert Fico, is just as blunt: ‘Islam has no place in Slovakia.’

In France, Nicolas Sarkozy calls Islamic dress ‘a provocation’, and promises laws against it. (And, of course, a ban on the wearing of burkas on French beaches sparked huge rows over the summer.)

In Britain, by contrast, Theresa May was cheered by her party members yesterday when she said: ‘I want us to be a country where it doesn’t matter where you were born.’

By what measure is ours an intolerant country? To be sure, we have our bigots, as every nation does. But against whom are we being so harshly judged?

Monday, October 17, 2016

Assistant teacher fired for comparing Mrs Obama to a gorilla

Yet it was just fine and witty to compare GWB to a chimp! How come! Could it be that Mrs Obama really does look simian but GWB does not?

Jane Wood Allen, a parapro at Chestatee Elementary School, shared articles on Facebook about First Lady Michelle Obama with comments that used derogatory words like “gorilla” and other posts that contained anti-Hispanic and anti-Muslim sentiments, according to school officials and her posts that were screen-captured by the Forsyth County News.

On Aug. 27, Allen shared an article by Opposing Views with the caption, “First Lady Michelle Obama continues to top lists of most admired women in the world. Do you admire her?”

Her comment on the post read, “I admire a gorilla more than I admire her. (Wait I forgot, she is a gorilla)! … She is the worst example of a First Lady ever! (Oh sorry, I meant gorilla not First Lady)!”

This week she posted an article from Americannews.com titled, “Outrage after Michelle Obama Slips Up…America Furious,” on which Allen posted, “This poor Gorilla. How is she going to function in the real world, by not having her luxurious vacations paid for anymore? She needs to focus on getting a total make-over (especially the hair), instead of planning vacations!”

Definition: "Middle class white girls (usually) who go crewing on a voluntary (usually) basis on larger cruising or racing yachts on their gap year. Occasionally in the hope of meeting a male (usually) crewman from a middle class background and income bracket for likeminded travel, fun and sex

Real Housewives of Auckland star Michelle Blanchard has opened up about a racial slur that was used against her on an upcoming episode.

The comment, which was recorded as the women sailed on a luxury yacht in Australia's Port Douglas, involves Housewives star Julia Sloane referring to fellow housewife Michelle Blanchard as a "boat n.....".

Sloane is pakeha [white] and Blanchard is English with Jamaican ancestry on her mother's side.

After last week's episode, in which Sloane demanded she deserved the best villa bedroom over Blanchard and Kirkpatrick because she was blonde, the incident was hinted at in the "next episode" teaser.

It is understood that, off camera but recorded on a microphone, Sloane said to Kirkpatrick, "Gilda! Don't let Michelle be your boat n*****!", Spinoff reports.

Sloane then said in a reaction interview: "It's an old boating term. I should never have said it."

Blanchard is consoled by Kirkpatrick, who is in tears about the incident herself.

Sunday, October 16, 2016

Obama Admin Says You’re “Racist and Intolerant” If You Believe in Religious Freedom

The Obama Administration released a concerning new report this month with recommendations that would chip away at Americans’ religious liberty.

The lengthy new report came from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Called “Peace Coexistence: Reconciling Nondiscrimination Principles with Civil Liberties,” the report makes recommendations that it says would balance religious freedom with non-discrimination laws. However, the recommendations appear to be thinly veiled attempts to deny Americans’ their First Amendment right to religious freedom.

Commission Chairman Julian Castro wrote some very hostile words in his personal statement in the report:

“The phrases ‘religious liberty’ and ‘religious freedom’ will stand for nothing except hypocrisy so long as they remain code words for discrimination, intolerance, racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia or any form of intolerance. … today, as in past, religion is being used as both a weapon and a shield by those seeking to deny others equality. In our nation’s past religion has been used to justify slavery and later, Jim Crow laws.”

The report recommended that law and policy makers tailor religious exceptions “as narrowly” as possible, citing the “undue burden” that these exceptions place on “non discrimination law and policies.”

Another recommendation states: “Federal legislation should be considered to clarify that RFRA [the Religious Freedom Restoration Act] creates First Amendment Free Exercise Clause rights only for individuals and religious institutions and only to the extent that they do not unduly burden civil liberties and civil rights protections against status-based discrimination.”

Deceptive poll results due to people being afraid to speak their minds?

This is something for all voters who have not made up their mind yet on who to vote for president. The left-leaning media does not even want to hint this is possible, but the fact is, previous presidential elections make it feasible. The Reagan landslide of 1980 over incumbent President Jimmy Carter and the 1948 victory of President Harry Truman, who defied virtually every national poll to win over Tom Dewey, the heavy favorite come to mind in the last 65-years.

Here’s the scenario beyond what the polls can accurately predict. Now let’s say a pollster calls you, and you are a Trump supporter. But you are also, say, deeply religious, or a very nice person who doesn’t want to be thought of as not nice, or, perhaps, a woman who doesn’t want to feel like she is betraying her gender.

You know that to speak up in many parts of the country means predictable liberal outrage and the left’s answer to silencing you; bigot, racist, extreme, intolerant, on and on. You have someone you don’t know on the other end of the line, who for all you know is recording the conversation, wants to know if you will vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton.

The media is has been bashing Trump to a pulp about womanizing, sexism, possible sexual harassment, etc. There is basically no equivalent for their “fair” reporting of Hillary and you are afraid to speak up.

How strong is the incentive to lie and say what you assume the pollster wants to hear? That is, to say what you think they want to hear, when in fact, you will vote for Donald Trump. Any Republican or conservative will tell you it’s tough to be different with the hysterical media and Hillary followers. You are uncaring, nasty, and possibly very stupid. These assumed attributes are doubled if you are a Republican and you support Donald Trump.

It makes it even harder to admit you will back the Republican Trump if you are an independent or a Democrat who just can’t stomach Hillary Clinton and think the country needs to change. You dodge such confrontations and merely stay silent.

It’s impossible to determine how many millions upon millions of likely voters will choose to make their decision in private, whether it be absentee ballot or at the polling booth. What will the “Trump bump” over the polls be on Election Day?

It would seem in this nasty election year, the polls would have to have a few extra points built in for Hillary Clinton based on the Trump shame factor. You want to be liked and you answer accordingly. You would never think to have a Trump placard on your front lawn, even though Hillary signs outnumber Trump signs 10-1.

Ask yourself this; How many men are going to hesitate before telling a female pollster they will vote for Trump? Maybe a Hispanic voice on the other end will silence your true opinion? Let’s be real.

Friday, October 14, 2016

Wheely Wheely Good was at a recent catering gig when the owners of the truck encountered the Democratic legislator.

“She approached our truck while we were working and started to argue with my partner and me,” recalls Wheely Wheely Good co-owner Alanna Li. “She told us, ‘Your truck’s name is super-racist.’ She used those words,” according to Philadelphia Magazine.

Li says that Gym also took umbrage at the Asian caricatures painted on the truck, as well as the typeface used in the design. Li says the caricatures are cartoon versions of her and her partner, Bailin Chen.

Gym took the issue to social media, tweeting a photo of her daughter holding a sign that read “RACISM SUCKS! AND SO DOES THIS” with an arrow pointing at the truck.

Li and Chen claim that Gym threatened to make it difficult for the company in the city if they didn't change thier name and design.

The coverage of the food truck has led to the Republican City Committee headquarters hiring Wheely Wheely Good to cater a presidential debate watch event next week.

British University cheerleading team cancels chav-themed night out after right-on students moaned they were 'appropriating working class culture'

"Chav" is a contemptuous term for assertive young British lower class people who often wear "shell suits", colourful tracksuit trousers matched with a colourful top

The Bristol University Cheerleading Society was set to host a chav night, but one of the cheerleaders complained that the theme could be seen as an appropriation of working class culture.

While the group's secretaries argued that 'not all working class people are chavs' this claim was ignored after the student union's equality office became involved.

Equality, Liberation and Access Officer Hannah Dualeh said she was keen to take a hard-line stance against the 'demonising of caricatures' and 'classist and horrible' behaviour and urged the society to change the theme.

She told student newspaper The Tab she was shocked 'by the lack of concern or apology' regarding an event that 'perpetuates oppression towards students from working class backgrounds', according to her social media output.

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Changing the Canadian national anthem

The epidemic of political correctness has reached absurd proportions and people are getting sick of it. Take the absurdity of Justin Trudeau and the Liberals changing the wording of our cherished national anthem to a gender-neutral version as an example.

In the absence of any pressing outcry from the general public for change to our anthem and much more pressing priorities such as the economy, high unemployment, rising deficits and national security the government would be hard pressed to explain the rationale of rushing this bill through.

Many of the advocates for changing the wording of our anthem bought into the false narrative that “in all thy sons command” was somehow discriminatory against women and therefore “sexist.”

This is nothing more than juvenile reasoning ignoring a certain poetic language of the past where “sons” included “daughters” and was in no way meant to discriminate. So now we are left with the lyrics “in all of us command” replacing “in all our son’s command” and a sloppy, ungrammatical and embarrassing national anthem as a second-rate token of appeasement.

Tom Flanagan’s words are most appropriate. “Most of all, it’s a bad idea to start rewriting national anthems and other national symbols every generation in response to passing trends in public opinion.

Once you start, the atheists will want to get God out, and the pacifists will object to standing on guard, and aboriginal activists will want to know who owns this native land.”

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

More Leftist hate speech

Students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are asking people to buy sweatshirts promoting violence against police officers and classifying all white people as racists.

“Racism,” claims one hoodie’s page, “is a set of systematic, institutional, cultural, and epistemological (although not limited to said forms) structures [sic] that inherently empowers white folk and in turn disempowers people of color. This power dictates who lives, have housing, access to education/healthcare etc. Racism has little to do with hatred and mostly to do with who has power.”

Facebook has already removed an original picture of the sweatshirt for not following Facebook’s Community Standards. However, as of this writing, Facebook has yet to remove the post selling the sweatshirts.

One of the sweatshirt says “If I Encounter Another Cop With A God Complex I’m Going To Have To Show The World That They Are Human”, seemingly promoting violence towards police.

Since the clothing went up for sale on Etsy, Pickett has apparently been receiving racially charged messages online. He has put screenshots of several such messages on Facebook.

When Money Magazine named Columbia, Md., the “best place to live” in America earlier this month, it splashed a glossy photo of a smiling local black family on its cover. “Why we love it,” the publication gushed: “A planned community that prizes economic and social diversity.”

Before the issue could even hit newsstands, however, another report threatened to paint a very different picture of the place.

These are a few of the “negative comments, gestures, and/or derogatory epithets against African-Americans” allegedly made by Howard County Sheriff James F. Fitzgerald, according to an investigation by the county’s Office of Human Rights.

* Black sheriff’s deputies “are not too smart, but they get the job done.”

* “There’s no watermelon there for you!”

* “Are you getting the chicken special?”

The report has shaken a community renowned for its racial tolerance and inclusivity. Protesters have twice picketed outside the sheriff’s office since the report was released last week. Elected officials across the political spectrum have called for Fitzgerald, a Democrat, to step down.

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

PC zealots are blasted for banishing biblical carving from library after 40 years - because the depiction of a baby being SPEARED might upset children

A striking work of art is at the centre of a ‘censorship’ row after it was removed from public display after 40 years amid claims that it distresses children.

The Crucifixion Of Mankind, by sculptor Connor Barrett, has adorned a wall in a library in Colchester, Essex, since the 1980s, but has now been put in storage.

The mahogany carving depicts the crucifixion of Christ alongside a Pan-like figure, and also includes a scene of a soldier spearing a baby, echoing the biblical massacre of the innocents by Herod.

Essex County Council said the powerful artwork, which was completed in 1961 and given to the library by the artist, had been taken down because of the ‘graphic depiction of a baby impaled on a sword which has distressed parents and children’.

But last night the council was accused of censorship, political correctness and an ‘ignorance of the nation’s Christian heritage’.

The town’s former Liberal Democrat MP, Sir Bob Russell, who now holds the honorary position of Colchester High Steward, said: ‘The excuse that some people do not like it is not a reason for its removal. This is censorship, which is bad enough anywhere but not in a public building.’

Canon David Banting, an Essex vicar and member of the Church of England’s General Synod, said: ‘What has been acceptable and understood for over a generation needs to be explained to a new generation.’

Bryan Whiteley, chairman of the Colchester Art Society, also questioned the decision, saying: ‘It does seem strange that after so many years, a piece of artwork that was a gift should be removed because it is considered offensive.

‘In typical fashion, the person who made the decision cannot be identified. What is certain is that a small, vociferous minority have got their way again because a council is unwilling to defend slightly contentious works of art instead of explaining the meaning behind the ideas expressed.’

'Then I think yeah but hang on, if I'm not Indigenous and I'm a storeman and I'm looking for a job and I see that I'd be very annoyed and put out by it. 'It's positive discrimination, if you like, but it is discrimination... I haven't seen it put quite so blatantly before'.

The report sparked a backlash on social media: 'Imagine if it was reversed!' said one listener.

'Reverse racism is such a nice thing. Bloody disgraceful,' said another. 'Very Racist against white Ausstraalians (sic),' a third added.

New Start Australia is Indigenous owned and says on its website it 'acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we work'. It specialises in Indigenous labour hire, recruitment, policy management and consultation.

There have been discrimination exemptions for advertising jobs only for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders since about the 1980s.

A tenement is a very basic form of apartment which has housed a lot of Scots over the years. Families living in tenements usually shared some facilities. "Tenement" does not refer to race but it does refer to a culture of poverty

A question came to my desk the other day: "Hello, can I ask a language question? Is it 'fishermen' or 'fishers'?

"Fishermen is obviously discriminatory, but fishers seems to be disliked by many within ABC Rural. And fisherpeople is out of the question. As someone who has never fished I feel like I have no authority to decide."

It's a good question, asked with noble intentions. But one thing made me pause: is "fishermen" an exclusionary term?

There's a line on this that says it isn't. Historically speaking, this position might even be correct: the Oxford English Dictionary does note that the suffix -men was considered until the 20th century to include women, if only by implication.

But! Language changes. There's even a nice little term for this: the etymological fallacy.

"Decimate" may once have meant "to kill one in every 10", but only the most rusted-on Roman legionary would today argue that the words means anything more than to more generally devastate or ruin.

And, if society has changed to be more inclusive of female perspectives, then so too should the language we use.

Fishermen, runs the non-sexist language reform line, could be seen to be as exclusionary as terms like chairmen. It treats maleness as the norm in matters involving more than one angler, and steps should be taken to rectify this disparity.

Sunday, October 09, 2016

Comedienne Jan Raven mocked the shadow health secretary in a skit on the ITV political show Peston on Sunday, drawing giggles from Labour MP Jess Phillips who remarked "very good".

The short segment also left host Robert Peston - who described it as "uncanny" - and Tory MP Anna Soubry in stitches, but has gone down badly with Mr Corbyn's fiercely loyal supporters on social media.

In it the impressionist imitated Ms Abbott's distinctive voice and delivered a speech chastising Mr Peston and Ms Phillips, urging them to "unite around Jeremy".

But leading Twitter Corbynista Eoin Clarke immediately leapt upon the clip, which was posted online, claiming that it showed that "trolling black women is still fair game" in the Labour Party.

Replying to the video on the Peston on Sunday Twitter feed other Corbyn supporters also got in on the act, accusing the show of "racism" and decrying the choice of guests as "a room of white liberals".

Notably almost all of the users replying negatively to the tweet did so using anonymous pseudonyms.

The traditional Latin piece of advice above translates as: "Speak only good of the dead". But is it not absurd? Should we speak only good of Hitler?

Absurd or not, it seems widely regarded as good manners. So when an Australian Senator made a perfectly factual comment about a dead person which alluded to something unpopular about that person, that was widely condemned.

The person concerned was a popular media personality and she was being very fulsomely praised in something of a media frenzy. I infer that the Senator was only trying to restore some balance to the commentary about her. I don't see that he has anything to apologize for. An alternative point of view is often unpopular but is all the more important for that

A senator has been slammed on social media and faces calls to resign after a 'horrid, dreadful' tweet about sports journalist Rebecca Wilson.

The 54-year-old broadcast and print veteran died at home on Friday after a 'long' battle with breast cancer she had kept very private.

He quickly came under attack for the post - a reference to Ms Wilson naming and shaming fans allegedly on Football Federation Australia's banned list, nearly half who were fans of the western Sydney club.

Fairfax investigative journalist Kate McClymont said: 'Shame on you, Senator @DavidLeyonhjelm. 'You mightn't have agreed with Rebecca Wilson but with her death so fresh show some human decency.'

'That's a pretty horrid thing to say so close to her death,' tweeted TV critic Steve Molk.

Friday, October 07, 2016

London recruitment firm Matching Models under fire over jobs for 'attractive' women and specifying bra size

A high-end London recruitment firm serving the wealthy was under fire today for advertising jobs only for “attractive” women - and even specifying what their bra size should be.

Matching Models specialises in providing companies and private clients with candidates for jobs including “hospitality staff, receptionists, flight attendants, as well as sales and promotional staff worldwide.”

In a statement on its website, it says: “It is almost politically incorrect to request someone to work for you that is both attractive as well as professionally equipped with the right set of skills.

“However, our company understands the importance of having the right people representing your company, because after all, first impressions count.”

A job for a PA advertised on the company’s website, insists candidates have “a classic look” and “brown long hair with b-c cup.”

The position, working for “a well known flamboyant aristocratic figure,” says applicants should have a “a bubbly personality and flexible approach” and “classy and immaculate presentation.”

It commands a salary of between £110,000 and £140,000 and also involves working on a private Learjet as a flight attendant.

But Sam Smethers, chief executive of leading women’s equality campaign group the Fawcett Society, criticised the approach. She said: “It is advisable and also makes good business sense to seek the best person for the job.

“Employers can take positive action measures to recruit under-represented groups, but targeting ‘beautiful and attractive’ just stereotypes women.”

It is a term that has divided Scotland for centuries - with some viewing it as a friendly nickname and other condemning it as an insult.

But the word 'Jock' has been deemed of 'limited concern' and on par with calling someone a 'Nazi' or 'Hun' by the communications watchdog Ofcom.

They were all viewed as less shocking than referring to a Welsh person as a 'Taff' - a slang term which derives from the River Taff which runs through Cardiff.

The regulator has published a document that ranks offensive terms on a scale from 'mild' to 'strongest'.

Ofcom's rankings have raised eyebrows, especially concerning how the word 'Jock' is no more or less offensive than the word 'Nazi', which Ofcom also deemed 'mild'.

'Hun', which Rangers fans have lobbied to make a hate crime when used in a footballing context, was also deemed 'mild'.

The report, Attitudes to Potentially Offensive Language and Gestures on TV and Radio, was based on a survey of 248 people in the UK.

'Ginger' is deemed funny and described as 'mild language, generally of little concern… typically viewed as a humorous insult, however, more aggression or specific intent to hurt heightens impact'.

The term 'Hun', sometimes used as a derogatory term for Rangers fans, is described as 'mild language, generally of little concern… however, seen as less acceptable by those familiar with the history and use of the term as a sectarian insult'.

The report states that some interviewees who were unaware of its use as an insult assumed it was an abbreviation of 'Honey'.

'Taff', a derogatory term for a Welsh person, is considered more offensive than 'Jock' and is described as 'medium language, potentially unacceptable... uncertainty outside Wales about how offensive it is to Welsh people'.

The Ofcom report states: 'Participants in the research found it hard to make overall judgments about individual words or gestures without taking into account the specific context.

'In some cases, they gave their views on the acceptability of words without being provided with detail about how a specific word might have been used.'

Last week, the BBC was accused of racism after 'Jock' appeared in a headline in a story about the Scottish economy.

Many women have unrealistic views of their own desirability but you must not say so

A PERTH man has been branded a “creep” after he shut down a woman on a dating website because he doesn’t “consider dating women who are over 30 and overweight.”

A Scottish woman from Edinburgh messaged ‘Ash’ on dating website Plenty Of Fish (POF) “just to say hi,” said the woman’s sister, who shared the interaction on Facebook. “OK, so my sister messaged someone on an online dating site just to say hi ... and got this,” she wrote.

‘Ash’ replied with an extensive message explaining why he refuses to date women over 30.

“I was specific with age because I would like to start a family one day and, to be honest, I think that the necessary timeline before doing so is shortened/compressed with a lady over 30,” he wrote.

“I was also specific about weight as I have never been attracted to big women. However since moving to Scotland and going on POF [Plenty of Fish, the dating app] I have learned that ‘average body type’ is commonly held to be around a dress size 14/16.

“I had to google this, but that dress size, with a waist around 34 inches, indicates a woman as being very overweight and all likelihood medically obese.”

Wednesday, October 05, 2016

Must not mention FAT

She found herself at the centre of a social media backlash for daring to voice her opinion about an unhealthy breakfast she spotted someone tucking into.

But Location, Location, Location presenter Kirstie Allsopp yesterday defended herself against accusations of fat-shaming claiming she had shared her observation to highlight the pressure on the NHS caused by obesity.

Last week she took to Twitter and revealed: ‘Just saw a guy have a glass of coke, a cappuccino, a croissant and a ham & cheese sandwich for breakfast #OurNHSistoast #worldgonemad’

Yesterday in an open letter she posted on social media, the Location, Location, Location star said the only point she was trying to make is that if we ‘all want a functioning NHS we all need to take a pull [take responsibility].

'It’s not healthy [to eat what the man in the café was consuming] whether it’s breakfast, lunch or supper.

'We can either take a pull and accept that what we eat hugely impacts our health and therefore #OurNHS or we can stick our heads in the sand.

'Say anything about over eating and its impact on the NHS and a whole load of folk go crazy, wonder why....

A JAPANESE sushi chain is being accused of “wasabi terrorism” after it admitted to heaping excess dollops of the pungent root into foreign customers’ food.

Osaka-based Ichibazushi issued an apology on its website Sunday, owning up to the charges but denying discrimination was at play.

It insisted that the wasabi-laced sushi was a response to many foreign-born patrons ordering extra portions of the fiery green paste used a condiment for the raw fish dish.

The chain did, however, acknowledge that some of its chefs had slipped copious amounts of wasabi — reportedly sometimes twice as much as usual — into unsuspecting customers’ food.

It was not immediately clear how many incidents there had been. “Because many of our overseas customers frequently order extra amounts of pickled ginger and wasabi, we gave them more without checking first,” the chain’s operator said.

“The result was unpleasant for some guests who aren’t fans of wasabi.”

The story was picked up by national media which pointed to comments online complaining of so-called “wasabi terrorism” -- and racism. “That is no apology; it’s an excuse. What they did was a hate crime,” @sakeuchi317 wrote on Twitter.

Tuesday, October 04, 2016

Racist, culturally insensitive : High school girls basketball team under fire over poster

A high school girls basketball team has been criticised over a poster promoting their upcoming season. Featuring the girls of the 2016 Clarke basketball team wearing headdresses and war paint, the poster has since been described as 'racist' and 'culturally incorrect'.

According to KCCI, no members of the basketball team are Native American.

Based in Southern Iowa, Vicky Apala-Cuevas of the Oglala Lakota tribe told KCCI that "everything" shown on the poster was culturally incorrect, and painful to look at. "Everything that I saw on the poster does not in any manner depict Native American women and that's the sad part," Apala-Cuevas said. "Our women are very beautiful and to be respected."

She said the way the basketball players were dressed was "culturally insensitive."

Community members and parents of the players have since defended the poster.

Arminda Cosner, a mother of one team member, defended the poster. "These girls are representing being ready for the season to come up, being ready and even nowadays it's an empowering message for women all over and these young women are doing it," said Ms Cosner.

Community members and parents of the players said the poster is meant to show how proud they are to be Clarke Indians.

"These girls are representing being ready for the season to come up, being ready and even nowadays it's an empowering message for women all over and these young women are doing it," said Arminda Cosner, who has a daughter on the team.

Seattle Mariners catcher Steve Clevenger has been suspended for the rest of the season for sending racially insensitive tweets about the protests of police killings in Charlotte on Wednesday.

The Mariners announced the decision on Friday, following Clevenger’s tweets on Thursday night.

The posts refer to police-shooting victim Keith Lamont Scott as a "thug," mock athletes protesting during the national anthem and also lash out at the Black Lives Matter movement and President Barack Obama. The posts also suggest those involved in the Charlotte protest “should be locked behind bars like animals.”

Monday, October 03, 2016

German lawyer makes hate-speech complaint against Facebook

No free speech in Germany -- again. There was no free speech under Hitler either. You would think they would learn from that

German prosecutors are again considering whether to press charges against Mark Zuckerberg and other Facebook executives for failing to staunch a tide of racist and threatening posts on the social network during an influx of migrants into Europe.

Munich prosecutors said they had received a complaint filed by a German technology law firm two weeks ago alleging that Facebook broke strict national laws against hate speech, sedition and support for terrorist organisations.

Attorney Chan-jo Jun, who filed a similar complaint in Hamburg a year ago, is demanding that Facebook executives be compelled to comply with anti-hate speech laws by removing racist or violent postings from their site.

Mr Jun is principal partner of the law firm Jun Lawyers of Wuerzburg in Bavaria.

Facebook said the complaint had no merit. "Mr Jun's complaints have repeatedly been rejected and there is no merit to this (latest) one either," a Facebook spokeswoman said.

"There is no place for hate on Facebook. Rather than focusing on these claims we work with partners to fight hate speech and foster counter speech."

Facebook's rules forbid bullying, harassment and threatening language, but critics say it does not do enough to enforce them.

A spokeswoman for the public prosecutor in Munich said a decision would be taken in coming weeks on whether to act on the new complaint, which names Mr Zuckerberg - Facebook's founder and chief executive - and regional European and German managers.

The national anthem went off without a hitch at the Australian Football League Grand Final

Calls to emulate Kaepernick went unheeded

OBVIOUSLY no one was listening to Anthony Mundine. The former NRL star-cum-boxer wanted players and fans to boycott the national anthems at this weekend’s AFL and NRL Grand Finals to protest against Australia’s “ignorant” attitude towards Aborigines.

“Been saying this for years!” Mundine wrote on his Facebook page on Thursday. “The anthem was written in late 1700s where blackfullas (sic) were considered fauna (animals) Advance Australia Fair as in white not fair as in fair go ...

The proposal was rejected by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who said: “Everyone should sing. Those like myself who perhaps are not the best singers should perhaps sing quietly so as not to ruin the experience for neighbours, but everyone should sing and everyone should be proud about our country and the fact that we can come together with sport.”

Swans forward Buddy Franklin rubbished the idea as “stupid” and television personality Karl Stefanovic thought it was “ridiculous”.

It came after NRL greats Larry Corowa and Joe Williams publicly called on players to “send a powerful message to white Australia” when Advance Australia Fair is played before the rugby league Grand Final at ANZ Stadium on Sunday.

But Mundine’s wish went unheeded, as the anthem went off without a hitch at the MCG on Saturday afternoon. The players put their arms around each other’s shoulders and the crowd was respectful.

Sunday, October 02, 2016

Evil film shut down

Vaccination has been protecting people from disease for around 200 years so attacks on it are just attention-seeking sensationalism. The supposed link to autism has long ago been debunked and traced to a crooked scientist named Andrew Wakefield. I would burn him at the stake for all the harm he has caused to children

DAVID Thrussell doesn’t see it as a debate between mainstream healthcare and what has been derided as quack science. He sees it as an issue of free speech

But the man in charge of a small film festival in country Victoria said he didn’t realise the "powder keg" he’d lit when he chose to screen a documentary that calls into question the safety of vaccinations.

The makers of Vaxxed: From Cover Up to Catastrophe claim it highlights a link between autism and immunisation. Critics say it is nothing more that anti-vax propaganda "based on lies" that will scare parents away from vaccinating their children against disease.

The documentary was supposed to have its premiere in April at Robert De Niro’s New York Tribeca film festival before it was abruptly dumped from the schedule after angry protests. De Niro later said he regretted the move.

It was then picked up by the tiny Castlemaine Local and International Film Festival (CLIFF), based in a Central Victorian town known more for vineyards than vaccinations, who planned to premiere it next month.

But those plans have just been shelved, news.com.au can reveal, following what Mr Thrussell, CLIFF’s creative director, said was a "highly co-ordinated campaign of intimidation" surrounding the film.

The Washington Post thinks that your pet’s Halloween costume may be sexist.

Abha Bhattarai reports that while "national retailers have begun taking steps to eliminate gender labels from their products" for humans, pet stores such as PetSmart and Baxter Boo still segregate dog costumes by male and female.

Bhattarai:

The glass ceiling appears to be firmly in place at PetSmart, where career costumes labeled "male" include firefighter and police officer, while female dogs can choose between a pink cowgirl costume and pink loofah.

On the site BaxterBoo.com, options for your female pooch include "sweet heart nurse" or French maid. "Any tidy girl dog will look adorable wearing this French Maid Dog Costume," the site’s description reads. "Whether your pup is a clean freak or a messy mutt, she will enjoy playing ‘dress up’ in this fun costume."

"It seems silly on the surface, but this is part of a larger message we’re sending, that there are certain jobs for men, and certain jobs for women," said Scott Lawrie, 36, who co-hosts a podcast, ‘She will not be ignored,’ about gender issues. "The career options for women — and dogs — need to go beyond pink loofahs and pink cowgirls."

Is the American national anthem politically incorrect? From the 4th verse:Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."

Mohammad

The truth can be offensive to some but it must be said

"HATE SPEECH" is free speech: The U.S. Supreme Court stated the general rule regarding protected speech in Texas v. Johnson (109 S.Ct. at 2544), when it held: "The government may not prohibit the verbal or nonverbal expression of an idea merely because society finds the idea offensive or disagreeable." Federal courts have consistently followed this. Said Virginia federal district judge Claude Hilton: "The First Amendment does not recognize exceptions for bigotry, racism, and religious intolerance or ideas or matters some may deem trivial, vulgar or profane."

Even some advocacy of violence is protected by the 1st Amendment. In Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969), the U.S. Supreme Court held unanimously that speech advocating violent illegal actions to bring about social change is protected by the First Amendment "except where such advocacy is directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action and is likely to incite or produce such action."

The double standard: Atheists can put up signs and billboards saying that Christianity is wrong and that is hunky dory. But if a Christian says that homosexuality is wrong, that is attacked as "hate speech"

One for the militant atheists to consider: "...it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg" -- Thomas Jefferson

"I think no subject should be off-limits, and I regard the laws in many Continental countries criminalizing Holocaust denial as philosophically repugnant and practically useless – in that they confirm to Jew-haters that the Jews control everything (otherwise why aren’t we allowed to talk about it?)" -- Mark Steyn

Voltaire's most famous saying was actually a summary of Voltaire's thinking by one of his biographers rather than something Voltaire said himself. Nonetheless it is a wholly admirable sentiment: "I disagree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it". I am of a similar mind.

The traditional advice about derogatory speech: "Sticks and stones will break your bones but names will never hurt you". Apparently people today are not as emotionally robust as their ancestors were.

Why conservatives should not respond to Leftist abuse: "Never wrestle with a pig, because you'll both just get dirty, and the pig likes it.”

The KKK were members of the DEMOCRATIC party. Google "Klanbake" if you doubt it

A phobia is an irrational fear, so the terms "Islamophobic" and "homophobic" embody a claim that the people so described are mentally ill. There is no evidence for either claim. Both terms are simply abuse masquerading as diagnoses and suggest that the person using them is engaged in propaganda rather than in any form of rational or objective discourse.

Leftists often pretend that any mention of race is "racist" -- unless they mention it, of course. But leaving such irrational propaganda aside, which statements really are racist? Can statements of fact about race be "racist"? Such statements are simply either true or false. The most sweeping possible definition of racism is that a racist statement is a statement that includes a negative value judgment of some race. Absent that, a statement is not racist, for all that Leftists might howl that it is. Facts cannot be racist so nor is the simple statement of them racist. Here is a statement that cannot therefore be racist by itself, though it could be false: "Blacks are on average much less intelligent than whites". If it is false and someone utters it, he could simply be mistaken or misinformed.

Categorization is a basic human survival skill so racism as the Left define it (i.e. any awareness of race) is in fact neither right nor wrong. It is simply human

Whatever your definition of racism, however, a statement that simply mentions race is not thereby racist -- though one would think otherwise from American Presidential election campaigns. Is a statement that mentions dogs, "doggist" or a statement that mentions cats, "cattist"?

If any mention of racial differences is racist then all Leftists are racist too -- as "affirmative action" is an explicit reference to racial differences

Was Abraham Lincoln a racist? "You and we are different races. We have between us a broader difference than exists between almost any other two races. Whether it is right or wrong I need not discuss, but this physical difference is a great disadvantage to us both, as I think your race suffer very greatly, many of them by living among us, while ours suffer from your presence. In a word, we suffer on each side. If this be admitted, it affords a reason at least why we should be separated. It is better for both, therefore, to be separated." -- Spoken at the White House to a group of black community leaders, August 14th, 1862

Gimlet-eyed Leftist haters sometimes pounce on the word "white" as racist. Will the time come when we have to refer to the White House as the "Full spectrum of light" House?

The spirit of liberty is "the spirit which is not too sure that it is right." and "Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can even do much to help it. While it lies there it needs no constitution, no law, no court to save it." -- Judge Learned Hand

Mostly, a gaffe is just truth slipping out

Two lines below of a famous hymn that would be incomprehensible to Leftists today ("honor"? "right"? "freedom?" Freedom to agree with them is the only freedom they believe in)

First to fight for right and freedom,
And to keep our honor clean

It is of course the hymn of the USMC -- still today the relentless warriors that they always were.

It seems a pity that the wisdom of the ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus is now little known. Remember, wrote the Stoic thinker, "that foul words or blows in themselves are no outrage, but your judgment that they are so. So when any one makes you angry, know that it is your own thought that has angered you. Wherefore make it your endeavour not to let your impressions carry you away."

"Since therefore the knowledge and survey of vice is in this world so necessary to the constituting of human virtue, and the scanning of error to the confirmation of truth, how can we more safely, and with less danger, scout into the regions of sin and falsity than by reading all manner of tractates, and hearing all manner of reason?" -- English poet John Milton (1608-1674) in Areopagitica

Leftists can try to get you fired from your job over something that you said and that's not an attack on free speech. But if you just criticize something that they say, then that IS an attack on free speech

The intellectual Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) could have been speaking of much that goes on today when he said: "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."

I despair of the ADL. Jews have enough problems already and yet in the ADL one has a prominent Jewish organization that does its best to make itself offensive to Christians. Their Leftism is more important to them than the welfare of Jewry -- which is the exact opposite of what they ostensibly stand for! Jewish cleverness seems to vanish when politics are involved. Fortunately, Christians are true to their saviour and have loving hearts. Jewish dissatisfaction with the myopia of the ADL is outlined here. Note that Foxy was too grand to reply to it.

There are also two blogspot blogs which record what I think are my main recent articles here and here. Similar content can be more conveniently accessed via my subject-indexed list of short articles here or here (I rarely write long articles these days)

NOTE: The archives provided by blogspot below are rather inconvenient. They break each month up into small bits. If you want to scan whole months at a time, the backup archives will suit better. See here or here